Are Seals Really Jealous of Bears?

May 5, 2011

986

May/June 2011

Oh no! Those polar bears are getting all the attention. Again! First we hear that their survival is at risk due to climate change. If you ask the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that is. Then, we find out that, no, bears in Nunavut, at least, seem to be plentiful, healthy and thriving as never before. That information according to Inuit hunters.

Then there’s the ban on the importation of polar bear hides. Well, in the United States at least. And now to top it all, we get news that our northern bears are being hunted in increasing numbers in Hudson Bay and that their hides are commanding record prices from buyers in Canada and abroad. Suppliers are unable to keep up with demand. This from the people who should know — Fur Harvesters Inc. in North Bay, Ontario.

Makes it very difficult to understand where our responsibilities and priorities should or might be — or are — when it comes to sustaining our polar bears.